Piling mechanism for fabrics.



H. L. GANTT. PILING MECHANISM FOR FABRICS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 13, 1908.

Patented Sept. 30, 1913.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

lv c qe: 6802 Z w We H. L. GANTT.

FILING MECHANISM FOR FABRICS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 13, 1908.

'1 74,567 Patented Sept. 30, 1913.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

H. L. GANTTL FILING MECHANISM FOR FABRICS. APPLICATION FILED JAN. 13, 1908.

a SHEETS-SHEET 3.

Patented Sept. 30, 1913.

Improvement in Piling C i I HENRY L. GANTT, 0F PAWT'fTCKET, RHODE ISLAND.

PILING MECHANISM FOR FABRICS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed January 13, 1908. Serial No. 410,576.

To all whom it mdy concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY, L. GANTT, a citizen of the United States, residing in Pawtucket, in the county of Providence and State of Rhode Island, have invented an echanism for Fabrics, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters on the drawings representing like parts.

The presentinvention relates to a. continuous processing apparatus for fabrics, and is applicable to bleaching or analogous processes in connection with what is known as a keir or vat in which the fabrics are subjected to any process involving the use of a li uid.

The keirs now commonly in use in bleacheries consist of large tanks or vats adapted to contain the liquid used in carrying out the process required, and the fabric is usually piled in these "-keirs by hand before the solution is put in. The heatingof the contents of the keir requires time after the keir has been filled, which time is saved by the use of the apparatus embodying this invention, as will be hereinafter described. In order to produce a circulation of the liquid, the steam may be intermittingly admitted, or a pump or some similar expedient maybe employed, and while the liquid may be caused to circulate satisfactorily the process is apt to result in an uneven treatment of the fabric, owing to the irregular packing ofthe said fabric, and the consequent uneven distribution of the solution throughout the mass owing to the different" density of the fabric in different parts due to the lack of uniformity in the pile. Moreover, much time is consumed in piling in the fabric before the boiling process is begun, and in pulling the fabric out after the process has been finished.

The present invention is mainly embodied in the combination with automatic devices, for systematically laying or piling the fabric in the keir, of. means for maintaining a large amount of fabric in the keir without tangling, continuously supplying and withdrawing the fabric, andvuniformly saturating the fabric'with'the liquid. In accordance with the invention, the fabric is laid or piled in such a way that circulation can be uniformly maintained and all parts of the fabric can be substantially equally exposed to the actlon of'the solution; while the fabric can be continuously withdrawn, layer after layer, from the bottom of the pile, without destroying the continuity of the layers above or tangling the fabric. Furthermore, as the fabric enters the keir, it is subjected at once to the action of the hot liquid, which is delivered in streams on the top of the pile, and the fabric is then saturated and heated, layer after layer, so that the time required to heat a large mass of fabric untilthe liquid in which it is submerged reaches the boiling point, is entirely saved.

To sum up, the apparatus embodying the invention is provided with means for saturating the fabric with liquid, piling it' into a keir of liquid, and withdrawing it therefrom, all of the above steps in the process being carried on simultaneously and continuously. With this system employed, I have discovered that the time required for the proper action of the solution upon the Patented Sept. 30, 1913.

fabric is so greatly reduced that it becomes practicable to withdraw the fabric continuously from the keir,-sothat the treated fabric can be continually withdrawn, while the untreated fabric is continually piled in. The entire bleaching process consists of two different boilings of the fabric with a number of intermediate processes to which the fabric is subjected between the boilings, it 4 being unnecessary to describe these proc{ esses in detail, the fact being mentioned merely to indicate how the entire bleaching process can be facilitated by the use of a continuously operating (keir, as distinguished from OIlQwWhlCh must be packed and discharged by hand, and in which the boiling must be carried on for a comparatively long time owing to the unsystematic pack"- ing of the material.

With the objects above set forth in view, the keiris provided ,Witha feeding mechanism for the fabric, which is customarily boiled in the keir in rope form, this feeding mechanism consisting in devices for systematically pilin or. laying the fabric so that the layers W1 1 contain substantially equal drawing out qf the fabric.

amounts of fabric, while the mass of fabric will not be,so compact as to prevent free circulation of the liquid between the top and bottom of the tank. The expression rope form is used as implying that the cloth, instead of being laid in flat, is loosely drawn or bunched into a rope-like mass, the, purposesbeing to facilitate the piling in and n accordance with the-invention, the fabric is. piled into the vat means of drawing rolls which rotate to pull the fabric forward, and reciprocate to lay the fabric in zig-zag folds in the keir, combined with a guide member which, produces a lateral movement of the fabric from one end of the rolls to the other. The movements of these coiiperating memhere may be so proportioned to each other that the fabric will be piled in such a manner that the strands in successive la ers will cross each other, thus forming latticed layers and producing a practically self-sustainregular spaces throughout the mass for t e proper permeation 'of the liquid.

The liquid in the ,keir is heated and caused to circulate, the arrangement being such that the hot liquid is directed in a heavy spray a ainst the fabric as it enters the'keir, and be ore it becomes submerged in the liquid therein. The circulation and heating may be provided for in any suitable or usual way, the apparatus being herein shown as provided with a circulating pump and means for in ecting live steam into the 7 liquid.

tank, as indicated at A.

The keir is provided with a fabric-con-- taining portion, the bottom of which is above the bottom of the keir, and the fabric contained in said portion is pulled out endwise from the bottom of the pile, layer after layer. Inasmuch as the circulating liquid is liable to displace the strands in the layers at the bottom of the pile and thus to cause them to tangle, the apparatus is shown as provided with meansfor maintaining the strands in their original relative position in the lower layers of the pile and for preventing the action of the circulating liquid from unduly displacingthem.

Figure 1 is a s1de elevation of an apparatus embodying the invention, with arts broken away and shown in section; Fig, 2 is a rear elevation of the same; Fig. 3 1s a top plan View; and Fig.4 is a horizontal section. 9

The invention is herein shown in connection with a keir consisting of a vat or tank A provided with a secondary inner wall A which terminates above the bottom of the The space between this secondary wall and. one of the outer walls of the tank which constitutes what will be termed the fabric-containing portion, is arranged to contain the rope of fabric B which is to be subjected to any process which forms part of the bleaching operation. The keir is intended to be filled with the roper solution, usually about to the level indicated by the reference letter A, and the fabric is piled into the space between the outer wall of the keir and the wall A as indicated, and is partially supported by a ledge A (Fig. 1) forming a slightly contracted'opening at the bottom of the fabric-receiving space, the lower end of \the line of fabric being drawn up around the lower end A of the supplemental wall, so that it can be carried away -by means of suitable rolls 0 toward which it is guided A by rolls C The rolls G serve also to s ueeze out a certain portion of the liquid which falls in the trough T and-drains back into the keir. In order to keep the liquid in the keir in circulation and to saturate the fabric thoroughly and evenly, the apparatus is shown as provided with a circulating pump D having an inlet pipe D with'lateral perforations to receive or suck in the liquidfrom the bottom of' the tank, the outlet passage from said pump consisting "of a pipe D which communicates with spraylng pipes D arranged along the upper. edges of the walls of the keir so as to direct streams of liquid downward u on the fabric as it enters. To heat the liquid, steam is admitted to the circulating pipe through a jet orifice S; and the keir may be further provided I streams upon the top of the pile, as shown in Fig. 1, thoroughly saturates the fabric as it enters the keir, and every layer recelves this thorough saturation at the start, so that the treatment is uniform throughout, and

- not unequal, as is apt to be the case when the fabnc' is promiscuously piled in before the keir is supplied with liquid. Further; more, the hot liquid, impingin upon the fabric as it falls, heats the fabric before it becomes submerged, and the time necessary to heat a mass of fabric to the boilingfpoint, as in the old process, is saved.

In order to lay the fabric in the keir in such a way as to expose all arts thereof equally to the action of the llquid, and at r, the same time to admit of the continuous filling in and removal of the fabric, the keir is provided with a feeding mechanism which consists of members a provided with inmates a pair of rolls 04 arranged to receive'the rope of fabric between them so as to carry the same along from the source of supply in the directionof the arrows. In order to arrange the fabric in the keir, these rolls are arranged: to be reciprocated, the arms a being shownas pivotally supported and connected by means of links a with crank arms a on a shaft a which is arranged to be continuously rotated in any suitable or usual way. This movement of the arms a will lay the rope of fabric back and: forth in layers but it is necessary, in order to fill the keir, that the layers should be extendedlaterally across the keir, as well as longitudinally. With such a formation, the strands in adjacent layers will be in the form of V- shaped loops, thereby leaving substantially uniform spaces throughout the mass. To this end, the rope of fabric is further-acted upon by means of a guide arm I) which is provided with a gui e eye 6 and is arranged to reciprocate in a direction transverse to that of the arms a. In order that the movementof these two members may be proportioned a). suit the proper laying of the fabric, they are arranged to be operated: by common mechanism, so that the right proportion of movement can be attained; In the construction shown, the arm I), which is also pi-votally supported, is arranged to be reciprocated by means offa rotating member c which is herein: shown as connected with the shaft 00'' by means of a: chain and sprocket wheels. This rotating member or shaft 0 is provided with; right and left hand screw threads, there being twolines of threads crossing each other. The arm I) is v acted upon by a swiveled' forked member 6 adapted to enter .these screw threads and to be caused. thereby to travel longitudinally along the shaft and thereby move the saidarm. At each end of'the shaft 6;, a cam is located which is arranged vto tipthe swiveled fork and throw it from one thread into the other, so that each time the arm I) reaches the end/of the shaft its movement will be reversed. The combined movement of the arms a and 1) results inthe ilin of the fabric in layers, so th'atthe fabric is evenly and uniformly disposed in the keir, whereby practically the entire surface is equally exposed to the action of theliquid. The means above described for moving the rolls (2*, and the arms 6, are such that the proportioning. of. the transverse movement of: the fabric which forms a feature of. the'invention may be easily attained, the proportion being such that those of the strands of fabric in which thelayers run inthe same direction will be'parallel and superimposed, the fabric thusbeing piled "inackzordance with the configuration shown 'in p'lan view of Fig. 3, that is say, in.

lsubstantially uniform piles with vertical Ispaces extending from the top to the bottom of the tank to insure a rapid and free circulation of the liquid. It is obvious, how- ;ever, that other means for accomplishing gthis result may be employed, without def partiulg from the invention. In t e construction shown, the mechanism glS' all driven from the main shaft F provided with two pulleys F and F connected Tfrespectively by belts with a pulley F on a fcountershaft F and a pulley C on one of {the rolls 0 which draw the fabric from the ilkeir. The countershaft F is provided with two pulleys F and F, the latter being conjnected by means of a belt with a pulley a. on the shaft a. This shaft, in turn, is provided with a sprocket wheel a which is con- Zjnected by means of a chain a with a-sprocket ,%wheel 0 on the end of the shaft 0, so that ithe proportionate drive of the rolls a and ithe ide 'arm 6 can be easily varied by gmerely changing the sprockets. The rolls themselves are driven from the which rotates a pulley F located at the ilower end of the arms a, this pulley driving la shaft a", which, in turn, is connected by gmeans of a pulley F and a beltFf with j the lower roll. The result of this systematic gpiling of'the fabric is that the boiling process can be satisfactorily finished in a very @short time, so that the fabric once started through the keir can be continuously piled in at the top and drawn out from the bottom without the necessity of stoppin the process while the keir is being loader? and unloaded.

In order that the keir may contain a large amount of material at one time, and at the same time admit of thewithdrawal endwise of the fabric from the bottom of the pile, the device is provided with. supporting .means for the pile arranged to maintain the formation thereof and tokeep the bottom of the-pile abovethe bottom of the keir. It is also desirable that the supporting means should be of such a nature as not to interfere with the circulation of the liquidthroughout the fabric containing portion; and moreover that they should tend to maintain the original arrangement of the fabric and prevent the displacement thereof through the action of the circulating liquid.

In the construction shown, the support consists of aledge A, and a series of armsor fingers extending from sald ledge acrossthe bottom of the fabric containing portion,

and so arranged wit-h relation to the piling mechanism that the rope of fabric lies generally lengthwise of the arms, and the members'of each loop thus travel along instead of across the-said arm, as they are pulledout endwise. While, therefore, the support 'extends substantially across the entirebottom- The'purpose of the support is largely to "act on the closed ends of the loops at opposite sides of thevpile, and while the ledge and the arms together constitute what I believe to. be the best practical embodiment of the Invention, it is obvious that either element might in some cases be dispensed with. The arms may furthermore be arranged to yield individually, it being practicable to construct them, as shown, of hollow metallic bodies or other buo ant devices 6 pivotally connected at one en as at 6 and having a tendency to press upward yieldingly against the bottom of the ile. The support thus afforded for the piib of fabric may be described as locally yielding, the purpose being to arrange the support so that that part which is m, the path of the line of fabric be ing withdrawn can 'yield while the remander of the support keeps its normal position.

Claims-- 1. A piling mechanism for fabrics consisting of drawin rolls movable in a direction transverse to t eir axes to draw the fabric from a source of supply and arrange the member; reciprocating members transversely same in folds, combined with a keir having a portion to receive the folded fabric, said portion being open at the bottom and terminating above the bottom of the keir; means for sustaining the fabric above and free from the bottom of the keir; and devices for drawing the folded fabric endwise from the bottom of the pile thus sustained.

2, A keir provided with an inner retaining wall for the fabric terminating above the bottom of the keir; a yielding bottom member to support the fabric; means for withdrawing the fabric through the space between said retaining wall and said bottom movable with relation to each other located over the top of the keir for piling the fabric in'the keir; and means for producing circulation of the liquid in the kelr.

3. A keir provided with a fabric containing portion having' an inner retaining wall terminating above the bottom of the keir, reciprocating members transversely movable with relation to each other located above the keir for piling fabric into the fabric contaming portion, meanslocated under the pile of fabric for supporting the pile and maintaining the original configuration of the lower layers thereof, means for withdrawing pile. layer after layer, and means for pro the fabric endwise from the bottomof the ducing the circulation of the liquid in the keir. 4. A keir having avfabric containing'por:

tion, provided at 1ts bottom with a series of parallel members to support the pile of fabric, combined with'piling mechanism adapt-.

ed to lay thefabric in loops, the strands of which extend generally lengthwise of said parallel members.

5.: A keir provided with a fabric containing porti 11 having an inner retaining wall terminating above the bottom of the keir;

reciprocating members transversely movable with relation to each other-located above the keir for piling fabric into the fabric-containing portion; means located under the pile of fabric for supporting the pile and maintaining the original configuration of the lower layers thereof; means for withdrawing the fabric endwise from the bottom of the pile layer by layer; and means for saturating the fabric with flowing liquid before it is submerged in the liquid in the keir.

6. The herein described means for subjecting fabric to a continuous process carried on in a receptacle, which consists in the combination with the receptacle;v of means for filling the receptacle with a pile' of fab.- ric regularly arranged in horizontal layers, each layer consisting of loops extending back and forth through the receptacle; means for drawing the lower end of the fabric thus piled out of the receptacle in a horizontal direction and in a direction generally lengthwise of the loops; and means for de-- livering liquid into said receptacle in downwardly directed streams impinging on the top of the pile of fabric.

7. The combination with means for piling a rope or strand'of fabric in layers in a' they may be withdrawn without tanglingr and means for continuously ejecting liquid on the top of the pile as it is formed.

8. The combination with a keir having a fabriccontaining portion, provided with a fabric support at its bottom; of transversely movable reciprocating members to fill said fabric containing portion with a regularly arranged pile of fabric; means for withdrawing the fabric from the bottom of said pile; and means for continuously ejecting liquid on the fabric as it enters the keir.

9. The herein described apparatus for continuous, processing, which consists in the combination with a receptacle for liquid, provided with a fabric containing portion, of meansfor filling said fabric containing portion-with a vertical pile of rope-form fabric in regularly arranged layers; means for supporting said pile of fabric in its vertical formation; means, for withdrawing said fabric from the bottom of the pile; means for heating the liquid; and means for spraying hot liquid on the top of the pile.

.10. A keir provided with reciprocatin draw rolls to draw fabric from a source o supply and deliver the same into the keir; In. testimony whereof, I have signed my a device for continuously spraying the fabname to this specification in the presence of ric with liquid as it enters the keir; means two subscribing Witnesses.

for supportingthe pile of fabric above the HENRY L. GANTT. 5 bottom of the keir; and means for With- Witnesses:

drawing the fabric from the bottom of the JAS. J. MALONEY,

pile. M. E. COVENEY. 

